The Dickinson press., 1887-10-01
COOKED WATERMELONS.
WHAT A GENTLEMAN FROM THE
COUNTRY SAW IN NEW YORK.

WHAT A GENTLEMAN FROM THE
COUNTRY SAW IN NEW YORK.
More than One Way of "%Plusging" q
Invented by Communications Fritz
tcrs and Candy.
More watermclons are consumed in New
York than III any other city i'll the world,
and the watermelon season is now Mt its
height. One of the largest and finest of the
ssaU,tDn watermclons that reached tho metrop-
oils last week found its way into the cafe of n
fashionable uptown hotel. 1t was prepared
for use and placed i'll the ice box.
People from the country aud the smaller
towns come to New York i'll great numbers
at this season of the year, and among the re-
cent arrivals was n worthy gentleman from a
little rural settlement in Southern Michigan,
who came to see his brother, q Wall street
i'roker, from whom lie had been separated
ever since they We're boys together on the old
farm. Tho two brothers dropped in at the
cafe i'll whose ice box rested the big water
melon first mentioned. Let's have a water
melon" said the broker. The rural brother
readily aSsented. will You have it pluggcl.'
asked the broker.
"Of course" answered the rural brother.
Didn't we always plug II melon before we
ate it when we We're boys The broker
whispered some order to the waiter, and
directly that scrvitor returned with the big
melon aforementioned. When he cut it it
seemed Very juicy and aromatic. TIL broth
crs ate it g%reedily. The rural brother de-
clar"l that he had never tasted such Il melon
i'll his life. 1t seemed to loosen and later to
thicken his tongue. Finally lie stared at his
broker brother and asked. "ticorgc, whasler
mashcr wish shat mcl'n."
II VAS 'rLrGGEp."
George smiled and answered, 1T was
plugged"
How pluggedi" asked the rural brother
with Il suspicious, not to say silly, lcer.
George replied: "a hole had been cut in
the end of it and a bottle of champagne and
Il gill of brandy poured i'll. Then it was left
in the ice until it became perfectly cold. The
sweet juices of the melon mingled with the
liquor so mellowcd it that You did not tnste
it,"
The rural brother looked astoniSiicd, and
declared that he had never heard the like.
He had plugged melons when Il boy to find
out whether OF not they We're ripe, but he
had never engaged in such expensive and
exlllarating plugging as the casc i'll qucs-
ton. The next morning, when lie had re-
covered from the effects of the plugged
melon and was discussing its wonders with
his brother, the latter, who has become n
distinguished cpicurc. said:
ut would surprise You, oll man, to know
how many methods of serving w%atcrmelonS
the commands have invented. Many prefer
IL plugged melon filled with claret, hut formy
part nothing equals Il sherry melon. Good
pale sliclry-anl it is hard to gct-should Ike
boiled down to almost Il syrup and then al
lowed to cool. When it has reached the
proper temperature, pour it into the melon,
place the fruit into the lee box, and when YOU.
are ready take it out and eat it. 1t more
nearly approaches the nectar of the gods than
any combination on earth. Then there is n
sort of shcrlet made of watermelon juice. l
know of hut one place i'll New York where
you can sc, it. The meat of the melon is
compressed. til" Juice mixed with wine and
the mixture placed in a freezer until fine
needles of ice begin In form in it. Then it is
served, and nothing can equal it as n cooling
slccoction."
The rural brother was much impressed with
the eli'urc's clrldition on the subject of the
watermelon. That evening ut dinner lie was
still further astoni>lc,l when the epicure
ordered as an cntrrr some watermelon frit-
tors. aud as Il confection some caidiel water
melon. Il should think the melon would
melt while they are cooking it or putting that
candy around it," said the %ruralist.
"A FRENCH TRICK
THAT is Il trick the French have taught
us, answered George. They cover II piece
xf COLL ,,.l,,, ,,;tl - .l:,A ., -,
it so quickly that the fruit hasn't time to lie
much affected with the heat. That is the way
these ~iritters were made. Then they take n
Very cold piece of melon meat, immersp it in
boiling sugar, remove it instantly, and you
have the canlicd melon that you have eaten.
They raise the finest waterInelons in the south
Of France to be found in Europe-although
they scarcely equal the melons we ret from
Gcorgia-and any cook from Southern France
will tell You nll about preparing the fruit. In
Franco they do not allow tho waste of tho
best part of the melon, which is the outside.
If the watermelon rinds that are thrown
away during II season i'll this country could
be gathered, instead of being allowed to
so to waste. and made into preserves, half
the people i'll the United States who are
unable to cnjoy the luxury OF preserves during
tho winter would have, ut n small cost, all
they could cat of the most delicious preserves
known to the human palate. A little cheap
sugar, some lemon peel and u limited degree
of skill i'll preparing the green portion of tho
watermelon is all that is required. Your
country people go hungry for delicacies that
grow all about you. This is not only true
with reference to melon preserves, but with
regard to other articles. You wait impa-
tieltly for n salad until your lettuce is grown,
and all the while you have had ut your COM
mand material, if properly prepared, for the
finest salad known. / refer to the stalks of
the dalldelion. You remember how we used
to have to pull up out of the garden the
abominablc weed that we called 'pusley.'
We have thrown away tons of it, and vet the
most delicate salad Ihuve eaten in New York
was made of that same weed, 'pusley.'"
The rural brother looked ustonishcd, made
minutes Of the information that his cpicurean
kinsman had given him md went homo to
tell the boys o little they Knew about
watermelons and tho women folks how
limited their knowledge is of cookery.-New
York Correspondence Globe Democrat.